A lot of people hold fanfiction in disdain, but I firmly believe that the experience of writing fanfic has made me a better writer. Back when I was writing By the Book and plotting Caffrey Flashback and Caffrey Disclosure, I had an idea in the back of my mind for an original novel. That idea had been lurking in my mind for a while, and I had been worried that I wouldn’t be able to write a mystery. I told myself that writing the trilogy of Caffrey Conversation stories I was envisioning would give me useful experience. At the end of the trilogy I’d know if I could write mysteries that readers would enjoy. Each story served as a stepping stone toward my ultimate goal.
My writing journey began long ago. I wrote stories as a child, and majored in literature and writing in college. My first attempt at a novel, however, was as horrible as first attempts are generally rumored to be. Frustrated, I put writing aside longer than I should have, until I started reading fanfic. It felt like a safe playground, a place to stretch long-dormant writing muscles.
One story turned into a series, and having ideas for a trilogy of case-based stories of significant length, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to learn if I could write an original mystery. The success and positive comments on the stories buoyed me, and finding an editor and beta reader willing to come along for the ride was a benefit I’d not expected.
I felt each story was stronger than the last, especially in terms of plotting and characterization and pacing. I was learning to manage casts of characters and to spin out multiple mysteries throughout the looooong duration of Caffrey Disclosure. Despite my pride in those stories, I also succumbed to nerves. Without the safety net of established characters and settings, would I crash and burn?
Those nerves plagued me for a year. Recently I added a few more stepping stones to bolster my confidence. I’ve been taking a class on plotting and also reading The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. It’s been reassuring to realize that the instincts I developed writing my trilogy were pretty good. My novel’s outline and character profiles already included many of the recommended elements. I’ve been making minor tweaks, not starting over from scratch.
More stepping stones included research. I suspect those will continue for the duration of the project. I'm keeping a Pinterest board full of images representing what I've discovered so far, and notes in Scrivener about the things I've learned. Oh, and that's another set of stepping stones. I upgraded my writing tools. I tried out Scrivener with my Caffrey Vignettes and A Caffrey Christmas Carol, and have learned to make use of that tool for outlining my novel.
Thanks to a recommendation from Silbrith, another stepping stone of upgraded tools was a background noise generator to help me stay focused when writing. I liked myNoise so much that I use it at work sometimes, too.
The next stepping stone is scheduled for July first. I’ll be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo, and have set a goal of writing 12,000 words on my novel during the month. That’s actually low compared to how many words I wrote in a month when I was actively working on the trilogy. However, I want to make allowances for a family vacation, as well as the fact that I write more slowly when the characters and settings are still new to me. I hope to pick up speed each month, and for now wanted to set a goal I felt confident I could reach.
Of course I can’t abandon my beloved Caffrey Conversation. Ideas for new vignettes have been arriving as my mind is opening up to writing mode again. I anticipate a summer vignette and one for the holidays. And I’m almost hopping with excitement as I’m reading Silbrith’s next story. As I view that story through the lens of my plotting class, I can assure you it’s brilliant.
Hopefully my stepping-stone approach will lead me to the place I want to be, with a completed mystery novel that’s actually worthy of publication. Meanwhile, I hope you’re also finding the steps to lead you toward your goals.
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